In 2022, Nafasi on Centre hosted a community mural project led by artist James “Yaya” Hough, a Hill District resident whose work centers public art as a tool for dialogue, memory, and shared authorship. The mural was commissioned in connection with the 58th Carnegie International at the Carnegie Museum of Art and was installed along Centre Avenue, situating a global exhibition within a neighborhood context and grounding it in local voices and experience.

In advance of the mural’s creation, Yaya facilitated a series of free, public workshops at Nafasi on Centre. These sessions were designed as both art-making spaces and neighborhood conversations. The first two workshops focused on discussion, inviting participants to reflect on the Hill District, their relationship to place, and the role public art plays in everyday life. Residents of different ages and backgrounds shared stories, ideas, and concerns, which were documented and carried forward into the visual planning for the mural.

The final workshop shifted from conversation to collective making. Participants sketched, wrote, and painted together, translating earlier discussions into shared imagery and text. Community members worked side by side with the artist on large-scale panels, learning about process while directly contributing to the visual language of the finished mural.

See photos of the mural creation process below.